HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC-RAY NUCLEI RESULTS ON ULYSSES .1. MISSION OVERVIEW

The cosmic ray flux observed with the Kiel Electron Telescope on board the ULYSSES spaceprobe varies with solar activity as well as with hel iospheric position. Determination of the latitudinal gradients requite s a careful analysis of the influences of the current sheet tilt angle , the number of major solar flares, interplanetary shocks and interact ion regions evolving in the expanding solar wind. In this paper we con centrate on nuclei with rigidity above 1 GV. We discuss the effects of the variable solar activity in the declining phase of the present sol ar cycle and the variation with radial distance as a basis for separat ing latitudinal effects. We show that during this phase of the solar c ycle modulation of GV nuclei is ordered by temporal evolution, radial distance and negligible latitudinal effects even at latitudes between 30 degrees and 50 degrees South.